Chrysanthemum plant--Puma cultivar

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named Puma is provided. The new cultivar was the result of a controlled breeding program wherein an unnamed plant designated 86.2378 was pollinated by the Whisper cultivar (non-patented in the United States). More specifically, the new cultivar forms attractive relatively small white anemone-centered flowers having white ray florets and a green center when immature. The inflorescence tends to be pyramidal in configuration. The response period of the flowers is approximately eight weeks. The new cultivar is particularly suited for use in the production of a cut anemone spray under greenhouse conditions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum, botanically known as Dendranthema morifolium Ramat.,previously, Chrysanthemum morifolium, Ramat., and hereinafter isreferred to by the cultivar name Puma.

The new cultivar is the product of a planned breeding program which hadas its objective the creation of a new Chrysanthemum cultivar whichexhibits attractive small white flowers having a green center whenimmature, exhibits a flower response period of approximately eightweeks, and possesses the ability to produce flowers of commerciallyacceptable quality throughout the year in a cut mum production program.Such combination of traits is not believed to have been present in thepreviously available Chrysanthemum cultivars. This objective wassatisfactorily fulfilled in the cultivar of the present invention.

The breeding program which resulted in the production of the newcultivar of the present invention was carried out in a controlledenvironment during 1987 at De Lier, The Netherlands. The female parent(i.e., the seed parent) was an unnamed plant designated 86.2378 and themale parent (i.e., the pollen parent) was the Whisper cultivar(non-patented in the United States). The parentage of the new cultivarcan be summarized as follow:

    86.2378×Whisper.

The seeds resulting from the above pollination were sown and plantletswere obtained which were physically and biologically different from eachother. Selective study resulted in the identification of a single plantof the new variety.

It was found that the new cultivar of the present invention:

(a) exhibits attractive relatively small anemone-centered flowers havingan overall diameter of approximately 40 to 45 mm. wherein the rayflorets are white and the flower center comprising the disc florets isapproximately 22 mm. in diameter wherein the disc florets are green incoloration when immature,

(b) bears flowers in a somewhat pyramidal configuration,

(c) exhibits a flower response period of approximately eight weeks, and

(d) has the ability to produce flowers of commercially acceptablequality throughout the year in a cut mum production program.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by cuttings initially takenduring January, 1988, as performed at De Lier, The Netherlands, in acontrolled environment has demonstrated that the characteristics of thenew cultivar as herein disclosed are firmly fixed and are retainedthrough successive generations of asexual propagation.

Puma has not been observed under all possible environmental conditionsto date. Accordingly, it is possible that the phenotype may varysomewhat with variations in the environment, such as temperature, light,day length, contact with pesticides and/or subjection to growthretardant treatments.

When the new cultivar of the present invention is compared to the MajoorBosshardt cultivar (U.S. plant patent application Ser. No. 07/680136,filed concurrently herewith), the following characteristics areobserved:

    ______________________________________                                                               MAJOOR                                                             PUMA       BOSSHARDT                                              ______________________________________                                        Diameter of Flower:                                                                         Approximately                                                                              Approximately                                                    40 to 45 mm. 60 to 65 mm.                                       Diameter of Disc:                                                                           Approximately                                                                              Approximately                                                    22 mm.       17 mm.                                             Length of Petals:                                                                           Approximately                                                                              Approximately                                                    20 to 22 mm. 30 to 35 mm.                                       Foliage Color:                                                                              Paler Green  Darker Green                                       Foliage Size: Approximately                                                                              Approximately                                                    80 × 60 mm.                                                                          80 × 70 mm.                                  Response:     Quicker      Slightly Slower                                    ______________________________________                                    

Also at the harvest stage one can observe a disparity in the developmentof the petaloids at the flower center. More specifically, such petaloiddevelopment is considerably greater in Puma than in Majoor Bosshardt.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph shows as nearly true as it is reasonablypossible to make the same in a color illustration of this character, atypical specimen of an overall plant of the new cultivar. The plant wasgrown in a greenhouse at De Lier, The Netherlands.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The chart used in the identification of colors described hereafter isthe R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society, London,England. The color values were determined at 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noonunder natural daylight conditions at De Lier, The Netherlands, duringOctober, 1990. The plants described were grown under standard greenhouseconditions which approximate those commonly utilized for the productionof cut mums.

Classification:

Botanical.--Dendranthema morifolium Ramat., cv. Puma.

Commercial.--Cut anemone spray.

INFLORESCENCE

A. Capitulum:

Form.--Pyramidal.

Type.--Anemone.

Diameter across face.--Approximately 40 to 45 mm. on average.

B. Corolla of ray and disc florets:

Diameter across disc.--Approximately 22 mm. on average.

Length of petals.--Approximately 20 to 22 mm. on average.

Color (general tonality from a distance of three meters).--White.

Color ray florets (top surface).--White Group 155D.

Color disc florets.--Yellow-Green Group 145A when immature changing toyellow when mature.

C. Reproductive organs:

Androecium.--Present in disc florets.

Gynoecium.--Present in disc florets.

PLANT

A. General appearance:

Height.--Approximately 100 cm. on average.

B. Foliage:

Color (upper surface).--Yellow-Green Group 147A.

Color (under surface).--Yellow-Green Group 137A.

Size.--Approximately 80×60 mm.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant namedPuma, substantially as herein shown and described, which:(a) exhibitsattractive relatively small anemone-centered flowers having an overalldiameter of approximately 40 to 45 mm. wherein the ray florets are whiteand the flower center comprising the disc florets is approximately 25mm. in diameter wherein the disc florets are green in coloration whenimmature, (b) bears flowers in a somewhat pyramidal configuration, (c)exhibits a flower response period of approximately eight weeks, and (d)has the ability to produce flowers of commercially acceptable qualitythroughout the year in a cut mum production program.